


Tempted By A Thief

by WhoIsWren



Category: Herr der Diebe | The Thief Lord - Cornelia Funke, Thief Lord (2006)
Genre: Age Difference, Aged-Up Character(s), Boys Kissing, Break Up, Canon Compliant, Daydreaming, Fantasizing, Fluff and Angst, M/M, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 02:05:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14345664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhoIsWren/pseuds/WhoIsWren
Summary: Prosper imagines how amazing his life would be if he was older, if he accepts Scipio's offer, if he got to live the life he always wanted.Then he makes his choice.





	Tempted By A Thief

**Author's Note:**

> I just love this paring okay?! They had so much chemistry in the book AND the movie, it's undeniable.

After all their searching they had finally found it. The magical merry-go-round of the Merciful Sisters stood in the clearing in all its glory. It was old, so old Prosper doubted anyone knew where it really came from. Completely carved from wood the carousel was a thing of beauty.

If he hadn’t seen the Conte and Contessa himself Prosper would have thought the stories of the merry-go-round were nothing more than elaborate fairy tales.

Scipio looked like he had found the answer to all his problems, and in a way he had. Prosper understood why Scipio wanted a turn on the ride. His life was almost as hard as Prosper’s was, though for very different reasons. Scipio had to fight his battles alone though, whereas Prosper had Bo – the only reason he was making it through the hardships.

He couldn’t contain his smile at seeing Scipio so happy and free, a far cry from the scared boy he’d been around his father. In Prosper’s mind Scipio should always look this happy.

Then Scipio held out his hand to Prosper and asked him to ride the merry-go-round with him. Hesitating a moment Prosper took one last chance to be sure of his decision to grow old and save Bo with Scipio by his side. It was a nice fantasy, one just within his grasp if he wanted it.

Prosper imagined what it would be like to be a grown up, to have power over his own life, to raise Bo without fear of someone coming along to snatch him away.

As an adult he could get a job and rent an apartment in Venice, something that would support himself and Bo. He’d enrol Bo in school and get to know his teachers. He’d never have to worry about losing Bo again if he was an adult.

It was a nice fantasy but one he couldn’t achieve alone. He wasn’t equipped to raise Bo by himself and still have time to get a job to support them. He just couldn’t do it alone and he didn’t want to.

Thoughts of an older Scipio snuck into his daydream causing Prosper to smile.

They’d get a two bedroom apartment big enough for the three of them; Scipio would sleep in Prosper’s bed of course, this is his fantasy after all. They’d already started their _thing_ , so it was safe to assume it would continue after the merry-go-round ride. Besides waking up to someone smiling at him, making his day shine a little brighter, would be the best thing in the world. They’d cook breakfast together, not that either of them were great cooks but maybe they’d learn. Scipio would probably get a job with Victor and be a Private Investigator; he already had the necessary skillset.

After work they’d return to their little slice of home. They’d order pizza and cuddle up on the couch watching a cheesy TV movie. Bo would be lying on the ground drawing pictures of the magical statues in Venice, or maybe he’d wiggled his way in between Scipio and Prosper to get all the cuddles for himself.

They’d laugh and smile, happy in their little apartment that probably had horrible water pressure and not nearly enough counter space. The couch would probably be lumpy and their table uneven. The windows would only open halfway and the carpet would have odd stains. Calling the apartment _shabby_ would be putting it nicely but it would be theirs and that made it perfect.

Bo would have his own room filled with everything he wanted. A bunk bed, basketball hoop, all the toys a little kid would want, and a desk stocked full of art supplies would fill the room. Bo would have a normal childhood with people to look after him, adults that loved each other as much as they loved Bo.

Once they put Bo to sleep Scipio and Prosper would fall into their own bed. Clothes would be stripped away and bodies pressed together with lips slick and raw. It would be passionate and rough, slow and gentle; it would be everything he could dream of. They’d fall in a heap next to each other and smile at their happy little life together.

They’d be a real family.

But people kept leaving Prosper. His dad, his mum, _hell_ , even Bo left for a while. People always ended up leaving him.

What’s to say the same won’t happen with Scipio?

There was no guarantee that Scipio would want to stay with Prosper, that he’d want to be a pseudo dad right away, he might not even want to stay in Venice. Scipio could do anything he wanted when he was an adult, go anywhere he wanted. He could meet someone else and leave Prosper in the dust taking care of Bo all on his own.

Things like breakups happened to adults all the time, so did single parenting. It was a real possibility, one he couldn’t risk.

He had no idea what would happen to either him or Bo if he stayed a teenager but it had to be better than if he lost everything as an adult. Things as a kid were hard, harder than he ever expected, but he couldn’t just skip out on growing up the natural way. He had a lot to learn if he was going to be taking care of Bo, things he could only learn if he lived through them.

For Bo’s sake he couldn’t take shortcuts, no matter how tempting.

“Bo wants me as a brother, not a father.”

He could practically see Scipio’s heart breaking the second the words left his lips and it was almost enough to have him changing his mind. He remained firm though, reminding himself that Bo came first.

Before Scipio climbed the steps to the merry-go-round Prosper ran to him and spun him around. Crashing their lips together Prosper gave in to everything he was feeling and poured it out through the kiss. The fear and uncertainty, the hopes and dreams, the love and friendship, all the circling emotions were expressed in a single kiss.

They both knew it was a goodbye kiss.

Drawing apart slowly the two boys caught their breaths and looked at each other one last time. It was hard to let him go but Prosper knew Scipio needed this, needed to grow up now and be free of his father. He’d never be happy if he stayed a teenager and Prosper would never deny Scipio his happiness, even if it made him miserable.

With one last quick kiss Scipio turned and climbed aboard the merry-go-round.

Prosper watched his happy fantasy shatter right before his eyes as the ride spun faster and faster. He may have lost Scipio but he still has Bo and that’s more than enough for Prosper.

It had to be.

**Author's Note:**

> For Camp NaNo I'm writing 20 short fics over several different fandoms, this is number 12.  
> [My Tumblr](http://www.nothing-personal-my-dear.tumblr.com)


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